March is here! I'm always glad to leave the -Uary months behind; they're so decidedly part of winter. At least with March, there's a wisp of hope for Spring. Even if there is sn*w, it's usually not long-lasting, and I can feel as if it's more a bug than a feature. (My father always called March's weather Women's Weather since it was so changeable. He was a terrible chauvinist at his core, but he could be surprisingly enlightened about so many things. In truth, he was more Marchlike than he would ever admit. If you're into that sort of thing, he was pretty much The Pisces Man.)
Anyway, we've had plenty of changeable weather here: a couple of days ago we reached 77 degrees (F), had a stretch of 60's, and today there is bright sunshine, but we're struggling to see 40. Winds have been high and gusty and from all different directions. A couple of days early in the month we had a bit of frozen precipitation, but nothing that required any action or caused me to despair. I'm grateful.
I did have reason to despair recently, however. I ended up with a nasty cold that hung around for about ten days. So aggravating! I hadn't had a cold for years and years. This one really sapped my strength and stamina--so much coughing! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take walks during some of the really nice weather, but there will be more. And Rick brought out two chairs onto the patio so that we could sit and enjoy the sun and warmth at least.
Last year, we had a landscaping company take out all the stone paths and landscape beds in the back yard and put a lawn back in. (The black walnut tree behind us just kept killing everything, and we spend so much time at the lake in the summer that the maintenance was prohibitive.) I was more than a little regretful about all the daffodils I had planted back there in the beds. They were all different shades of white and pink, and I really looked forward to them as true harbingers of Spring each year (especially after the damn squirrels ate every single one of my tulips the year after I planted them). I consoled myself with the idea that I had a few clutches of them out front, at least.
Well, when the temperatures stayed warm for several days, even overnight, I started seeing shoots of daffodils coming up through the backyard grass! Even where I had never planted any. Some are in the middle of the yard where the flagstone path was, and some are in front of the swing where there was an entire area of flagstone. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! I grabbed a bunch of plant markers from the garage and stuck them in the ground wherever I saw shoots. I HAVE FIFTEEN MARKERS IN MY BACK YARD WHERE THERE ARE DAFFODILS COMING UP! I am so excited. I feel like Surprise Daffodils are the best daffodils. I can't wait until they have buds and flower.
It's always nice to have a little something to look forward to, isn't it? And isn't it so very pleasant to be surprised by something simple? I tell my husband often how Very Lucky He Is to have a partner whose Joys are so easily procured and provoked. He doesn't need to shop at Tiffany or Coach or places like that. He can bring me home birdseed, a water lily for our little backyard pond, or some raspberries. Or some really good ice cream.
I'm really looking forward to those daffodils and getting the pond and waterfall up and running. Maybe we'll put a few fish in it this year for Theo to feed. Surprise fish! That should be fun.
Surprise daffodils ARE the best daffodils! But honestly, I'm not too surprised they popped up despite you having the pavers and beds taken out - unless they dug out every single bulb some were bound to make a comeback.
ReplyDeleteGigi--I was worried because the whole yard was rototilled and raked out. Many of these daffs have showed up where I DID NOT plant any. I'm guessing they were relocated by the rototilling? Doesn't matter, actually. I'm just glad they're out there.
DeleteI'm sorry about your cold. As if there'd ever be a good time to have one, but during nice stretches of warm weather is a total bummer. On the other hand surprise daffodils are a prize. Ours seem a little pokey about blooming this year, but I'm watching them encouraged by what I see so far.
ReplyDeleteAlly--Thank you. I was so irritated to catch that cold, and so frustrated by its duration. I was immediately catapulted back to my childhood when it seemed I was always sick with something, sleeping propped up and surrounded by Kleenex.
DeleteYour daffodils will bloom well before mine since you are quite south of me. Mine won't really be in full bloom for another couple of weeks at least. I can't wait!
I haven't seen any daffodils yet but I hear they are poking out of the ground on the other end of our campus.
ReplyDeleteJean--In a few weeks, you'll need to take a stroll down there and take a look. Daffodils are such a joy to see. They really do mark the season of Spring.
DeleteYay! I love daffodils! And BOO to stupid squirrels eating your tulip bulbs. They really are a pest, aren't they? I hope you're feeling all better after your cold, that is no fun at all.
ReplyDeleteJ--I'm guessing daffodil season is just about over for you, perhaps. I know you enjoyed it.
DeleteAbout the only joy I get out of squirrels is hearing Theo call for them. I taught him the word over the weekend, and we spent lots of time at many windows calling for the black squirrels that live in his neighbourhood. He says, "Quirl! Quirl!"
And thank you--I am feeling almost 100% now. Still getting back up to strength, but generally back to normal. Being sick makes me so mad!
Surprise daffodils for the win! How crazy that they're popping up in places where you hadn't even planted them. Sorry about the cold. That's the pits. Don't tell Coach, but I called Curly out of school when it was sunny out so she could lounge on the deck with me during nap time (her most important classes are 1st period and last period and she's getting straight As). It was glorious and a total sign of summer time lounging soon to come.
ReplyDeleteErnie--Thank you--I really resent being sick. Aren't my vitamins supposed to take care of that?!
DeleteI completely understand about that sun time on the deck/patio. As soon as I saw the forecast, I asked Rick to get some chairs out there. One morning, I even took my coffee out there, braving the wind, just to feel the sun first thing. Glorious is right!
I am guessing that your daffs have been curated by squirrels. The one bulb they do not eat, but they do dig them, in hopes, I guess and then replant them. They also do this with squilla, a wonderful name for a brave little blue spring flower that was gifted to my parents' house one year and stayed.
ReplyDeleteI gather your cold also stayed. Did you do a Covid test at all? I see quite a few people with masks and am wondering if we will get another round, now that the weather has moderated enough to bring folk out.
Yes, we had a few bright and unfrozen days and the ground is showing through the snow in a lot of places. My daff bed, however, is still mostly covered. I am looking forward to April, our spring usually. However the sap is running and everyone was madly boiling on the weekend. Until the fog arrived, we had sun.
I love the thought of your deck chairs and sneaking daffs popping up. Lovely.
Mary--I wondered about a Squirrel Landscaping Service as well. If they did do it, then that is the one thing they are good for. Perhaps they are finally atoning for all the times they scaled the garage moulding and raided my bird feeder.
DeleteI did not do a Covid test. I didn't have a fever or aches, and Rick never got sick. I was going to do one out of an abundance of caution, but all five of our tests (supplied by the government) had expired.
Hooray for seeing grass! Here's to more of it appearing day by day. Have JG go and plant a lawn chair on a patch of it just for defiance's sake. Claim Your Spring!
I shall wish for sunny warm days that bring you an early spring thaw and lots of good maple syrup. (But mostly early spring!) XO
I am in the middle of a nasty allergy attack (I hope, sincerely, since I had new hire orientation yesterday & was sneezing on 6 other people. If I'd had the option of staying home I would have.). It was a result of meandering in my dad's back yard on Saturday to check out the beaver activity on his creek. He's so excited - like a little kid. It was fun, but now, I suffer. So commiserations to you!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of my dad, one year UPS went on strike for what felt like forever (6 weeks maybe?). While he wasn't working he planted crocus bulbs in the middle of the yard in a heart shape. What a fun surprise for my mom!
Bug--We had beavers show up at the lake, building a dam under some boat docks. Not good. They had to be urged to relocate. They're cute, but very destructive.
DeleteCrocuses (croci? crocii?) are up around here, but none in a heart-shaped planting that I've seen around the neighbourhood. What a lovely idea.
Oh, frabjous daffodils! I love them, too. So glad that your daffodils were so resilient and popped up anyway! Sometimes nature is on our side. Other spring delights I love are tulips and hyacinths. We live in an upstairs condo, so... no garden here. But these flowers can be enjoyed in one of our local parks where we usually go for walks. And, for the ultimate experience, we must get to the Dallas Blooms exhibition at the Dallas Arboretum in the next few weeks: acres of these beautiful spring flowers:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.dallasarboretum.org/
So sorry to hear about your nasty cold. Hope you’re feeling better now! I’ve been lucky so far this year, but I feel like the Universe owes me that after Mr. O. and I both getting Covid last spring.
We’ve had incredible spring weather for the last two weeks: temps between 50-75. I just know there will be another bizarre freeze before the scorching summer temps hit us in May, but truly this is the nicest time of year for us.
And you’re so right: the simple joys are indeed the best, not least because they are more frequent, more reliable, and ... it all adds up. I remember being thrilled when Luis gave me a Movado watch to celebrate my M.A. graduation, but honestly, I am just as chuffed with little everyday surprises, like bringing home the perfect avocado from the supermarket or spontaneously repairing some niggly little thing around the house, etc.
XXOO
Ortizzle--I absolutely adore hyacinths. Those and lilacs are my favourite scents in the world, I think. I'd have hyacinths galore, but Rick is terribly allergic. Another sacrifice I have made for him, along with garlic, peonies, and Midwest tuna casserole. Honestly, he truly does not appreciate me.
DeleteThe Dallas Arboretum looks gorgeous right now! Go go go while all those gorgeous Springtime blooms are at peak. I can only imagine the heavenly smell of all those hyacinths!
I am feeling much better now, thank you. I had to make big strides in my recovery--Theo is coming for a few days' stay tomorrow! He's walking and talking and Very, Very Busy. I can only hope that the weather cooperates so that we can be outdoors a bit to tire him out.
Acts Of Service is my love language, and I get so happy when Rick repairs something or makes something more efficient. (Today, I'd just be happy if he would remember to put away the bath mat after his shower!)
The crocuses are out! Daffodil greens are out! We are trending towards spring! Woot woot! Let's do this.
ReplyDeleteActually, Nance, spring is my least favorite of the seasons because of this variability. Friday night I was bathing the dog in the driveway because it was almost eighty degrees and on Saturday night we got a dusting of snow. How can I prepare for this? What do I wear? What shoes are appropriate? In our shoe tray we have everything from winter boots to flip flops. This is not a way to live!!!!
Engie--LET'S GO, SPRING!
DeleteI hear you about the constant wardrobe fluctuations. I hate that, too, especially with outerwear. One day, I wear my heated coat; the next day, I can toss on a sweatshirt. Hate it.
You and I live in the worst area for Spring to be a fickle bitch. I love Spring because things become green again and especially the flowering trees. It all feels like a reward for surviving winter.
Surprise daffodils! How delightful! I never would have guessed they were such a hearty flower! I would like to do something with our landscaping but I keep putting that off as a project for future Lisa... and we'll need to outsource it. But first I need to decide what we want done. We have some flowering plants in the front of our house but I don't love what was planted by previous owners.
ReplyDeleteOur weather is all over the place right now. Yesterday was 60 and beautiful - tomorrow there is a winter storm warning. I'm hoping it stays south of us as I have to drive a couple of hours to meet my parents as they will watch the boys while we are in Mexico. But the end of the volatile weather should be just around the corner hopefully!
Lisa--It's such a pleasure to see professional landscapers at work. We always hired the same company, a local one we know very well, and it's astonishing to see how fast they can transform a space.
DeleteI hate driving in stormy weather, but I really dislike the uncertainty of driving in wintry weather. Fingers crossed that your travels are not in sn*w! Won't it feel great to be away on vacation and know that the boys are in such good hands?
Yes it is a win/win situation because my parents are thrilled to have extra time with the boys and it allows Phil and I time away to relax and reconnect. My youngest is obsessed with my dad and tells everyone that papa is his best friend. :)
DeleteLisa--What a heartwarming statement by your son! I bet your dad feels like the luckiest man in the world.
DeleteI love daffodils! They are such a symbol of spring to me. Where I grew up there was a lot of snow and I remember the snow drops would come and then the daffodils and then you knew it was time for better weather! Also they smell good! Lilacs are another one that really speaks to me in springtime. I love that you are happy with ice cream or plants. I agree wholeheartedly; those are much better gifts for me than jewelry or any other trinket.
ReplyDeleteWhere I am they normally only get about 40 days of rain a year but the entire month I have been here it has been raining. However, it turns out this is a record breaking storm/amount of rain for them. WTF. I am happy that they are no longer in a drought but it has really put a crimp on my activity levels!
Kyria--They'd better be glad that you brought the rain! It's tough to do outdoorsy stuff in the rain. It's not fun, and I've never found it romantic, either. Ugh.
DeleteYou know, I haven't seen snowdrops around in forever. We used to have some along the fence line in the back yard, but I think they got dug up when landscaping was put in. I miss them. I also miss our lilac bush on the side of the house. It got some sort of scale or mildew and despite our best efforts, it died off. I used to love opening the windows and smelling those blooms. Now I visit the lilac bushes in the neighbourhood on my walks to get my fill.
My heart lifted to see... and then read your post, Nance! Go, surprise daffodils, Go! I'm so happy the outdoors is enjoyable again and that your pond may have some fish for Theo to feed... my heartrate calmed just imagining that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, your dad's right--March IS Women's (History) month :)!
maya--Thank you for such kind words.
DeleteWe used to always have pond fish in the earliest days of our little pond. Then we had some truly awful raids by raccoons and a heron. One raccoon raid left a few of our fish maimed and dead on the rim rocks. Another destroyed all the water lilies. At least herons don't damage the plants and they eat the fish.
LOL about March being Women's History Month and my father being right by default. You know, he was such a complex man in many respects. He was a huge admirer of women like Shirley Chisolm, for example, and raised me to be very independent and self-confident; yet, he was still bemused in large part (and sometimes rather put off) by the feminist movement. He frustrated me so often.
When I think of your dad, I think of all the union values he embodied and passed on to you, Nance. I'll never forget the story of you being in the grocery store and learning why you were not buying grapes on that trip. I'm tearing up a bit just thinking of that cross-cultural solidarity...
ReplyDeleteParents :)!! I can imagine some of the more radical feminist statements being off-putting to someone brought up differently. I took me a while to understand some of the more radical stuff. Now I couldn't live without it. Sometimes in class we talk about "Purity Culture." Not *that* purity culture--:) More like how kids these days want everyone to have perfect politics all the time. Like Nu will say they dislike some celebrity because of something they said when they were a teenager. No one can live up to that purity standard. I'm happy to accept people doing good, being kind, and trying their best. I hope when I make a mistake, people will forgive me.
maya--So true! No one is perfect, and our background and the times in which we were raised have a profound and often lasting effect on us. It's one of the reasons I'm so grateful for my upbringing in an international city and in a working class family. My kids are also glad they went to diverse public schools and had experiences with all kinds of people. I think it makes them far more accepting and tolerant. Still, I understand what you mean about how Nu's generation expects so much from everyone, forgetting that people do sometimes need a bit of grace. Times have changed and for some, it's hard to keep up. If they are trying, we can give them our kindness and our best.
DeleteSurprises are the best---and flower surprises are the Best of the Best! Congrats on all those daffodils popping up; they were saying, "Hey, Don't Forget About Us!"
ReplyDeleteFeeding fish with Theo will be another joy, for sure. Making memories with the little ones has to be the best thing ever. Do the birds try to eat your pond fish? Hmmm...I know, the circle of life and all, but still pet fish should stay as pet fish and not food. :)
Glad to know you've gotten over your cold, and doesn't it always seem the cough lasts and lasts. I started feeling the sinus thing last Friday, which turned into a head cold and it took me down a few days this week; hoping to be on the mend by this weekend as I have things to do.
Your dad sounds like a trip---old school for sure.
BB Suz--Love that quote from the daffodils! I looked out this morning and some have buds now. So exciting.
DeleteI've had a hawk get a pond fish, and as I mentioned, a visiting heron. We live only a few blocks from the river, so the heron wasn't a big surprise. At least herons don't mess up the lily pads. We never get expensive pond fish, just big goldies, shubunkin, and comets. Still, I name them and get a bit attached.
Yes! The cough does linger; I still have it. Theo has been here for a few days, and he has a leftover cough as well. He has picked up on covering his mouth when he coughs from watching me--too cute. Fingers crossed that you feel lots better soon and get your tasks accomplished.
I was literally just thinking about when the daffodils will bloom at Lake View and when to go see them. I always take one of my dogs and walk all around. It is such a lovely place, with so much history; I feel sorry for people who do not appreciate cemeteries.
ReplyDeleteElle--I know you love to go to see the daffodils there. These frigid temperatures lately will delay our daffodils quite a bit. I know mine are literally in a state of suspended animation right now; they've not progressed in the last week at all. Poor things. I feel the same way.
DeleteI know exactly what you mean! I found a narcissus in bloom and some others looking ready to come up, as well as a potential tulip - I thought the squirrels had gotten all of them. Small surprises that give you a big boost!
ReplyDeleteBridget--Treasure that tulip and guard it with your life! Those damned squirrels will lay waste to it before it even blooms if you don't. I miss all my beautiful tulips that were destroyed by squirrels.
DeleteHooray for your surprise springtime flowers! They really do give you a nice boost.
Nance, your surprise daffodils absolutely delight me! They're beautiful. Mother Nature did the "naturalizing" that the home and garden articles always tell you to go for! I hope you do get a fish pond that Theo will enjoy with you. That would be a source of unending happiness for sure. (I love reading all your tidbits about Theo's current escapades in your comments!)
ReplyDeleteThe majority of my daffodils, which we now refer to as Smokey and Fred's daffodils because she brought them for Smokey's memorial service but they now memorialize her as well, are just finishing up. Right at the end, they have that dried flower, impressionistic, still beautiful appearance that makes their ending a little easier to take. I have three more daffodils blooming that are just as special and incredibly old. Before we broke ground on our house, we transferred maybe two dozen bulbs from the 1800s farmhouse we were renting at the time. We planted them in the area below the house on the hillside in front of where Smokey and my dad eventually built Bo's treehouse. For decades, only one of the daffodils would bloom. We decided that we had either planted them too deep or they didn't get enough sunlight. But this year, three have bloomed, which makes me happy. These daffodils were already decades old when we moved them here in 1985. The fact that they keep popping up every year and giving me any blooms at all, much less three under extenuating circumstances, seems pretty phenomenal to me.
I'm so sorry about your nasty cold. Hasn't the desire for a cure for the common cold been at the top of the list for desired health fixes for a long time? I'll forgo the obvious discussion that comes to mind right now. I also saw your comment on another post about BPPV. Oh, what a miserable condition, Nance. I hope you are past that as well. I'm probably 95% past mine.
We need to catch up. It will probably come as no surprise that my surgery recovery has turned into another roller coaster of a slog. I'm on the uphill side though and I sincerely hope that on the 16th when I return to my surgeon for my 6-week check-up, I will be doing perfectly fine. Hopefully, we can have a chat soon and we'll both be in tip-top shape.
Love and hugs,
Shirley
Shirley--How nice to see you here in Comments! I am sorry to hear that your Recovery hasn't been uneventful and easy going. How terribly unfair after all you've already been through. I do know that you've been taking good care of yourself, however, and that you're doing everything you can to be well.
DeleteThe story of your daffodils is beautiful. Spring is such a lovely and rewarding season, and to look out and see those flowers, reminding you of your dear husband and wonderful friend must feel especially comforting. Perhaps bittersweet, yet so life-affirming. And how appropriate that they both are commemorated by such a bright and loyal flower!
I look forward to catching up as soon as you are up to it. We'll start with aches and pains and go upward from there LOL. I'm so glad you stopped by here. XOXO
Haha on how our catch-up conversation will go. Sounds about right though.
DeleteThe daffodils bring me nothing but joy. I will be forever grateful to Bo for planting them. Although he's not here every year to see them in person, they also bring him just as much joy.
Talk soon. xoxo